A Better Understanding of Cancer Stemming from Epigenetics Research by AUA Professor and His Colleagues in Armenia and Germany

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YEREVAN, Armenia – Arsen Arakelyan, adjunct lecturer at the American University of Armenia (AUA) College of Science and Engineering, along with other bioinformatics researchers from Armenia and Germany, has published a paper on October 21 on how the disruption of a cell’s regulatory machinery leads to cell behavior also observed in cancerous cells.

These kinds of findings have brought the field of epigenetics, which is the study of how gene behavior is regulated inside a cell, to the forefront of cancer research today, according to Arakelyan. “We studied how exactly epigenetic processes are altered in lymphoma, a common cancer of blood cells,” Arakelyan said.

The researchers from Germany are based at the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics at the University of Leipzig, Germany. The Armenian researchers are affiliated with AUA and the Institute of Molecular Biology, National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Armenia.

The collaboration between the two research groups is on-going and has the potential of shedding light on the mechanisms of cancer development and the discovery of new targets for therapy.  

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.